It is that time of the year again: San Francisco, Los Angeles, and other California cities and counties compete for the title of Highest Minimum Wage in the state.
This year, the award goes to last year’s winner: The city of Emeryville in the San Francisco Bay area, which raised its minimum wage from $19.36/hour to $19.90/hour. Meanwhile the winner of 2023, West Hollywood, comes in second for a second year in a row, having raised its minimum wage of $19.08/hour to $19.65/hour.
As for the state itself, by way of SB3, California raised the minimum wage for all employers from $16.00/hour to $16.50 per hour effective January 1, 2025. Employers should be aware of when a locality’s minimum wage requirements are higher than the state’s minimum wage and when specific industries require higher minimum wages for workers in those industries, e.g., hotel and airport workers.
The basic rule to remember is that the higher minimum wage, whether local, state, or industry specific, always applies.
The following chart lists those locations where the minimum raise is set to increase on July 1, 2025.
Other California municipalities that have their own minimum wage requirements include:
Belmont, Burlingame, Cupertino, Daly City, East Palo Alto, El Cerrito, Foster City, Half Moon Bay, Hayward, Long Beach, Los Altos, Malibu, Menlo Park, Mountain View, Novato, Oakland, Palo Alto, Petaluma, Redwood City, Richmond, San Carlos, San Diego, San Jose, San Mateo, San Mateo (unincorporated areas), Santa Clara, Santa Rosa, Sonoma, South San Francisco, and Sunnyvale.
If you have employees who work in any of these locations, please contact WorkWise Law, PC, to help you navigate the ever-changing minimum wage landscape.
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